


TikTok Infamous

by BuckyBarnes8999



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Angst with a Happy Ending, Coming Out, Fluff and Angst, Kissing, M/M, Outing, Past Steve Rogers/Tony Stark, Social Media, TikTok
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-23
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-07 16:48:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26620939
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BuckyBarnes8999/pseuds/BuckyBarnes8999
Summary: Steve quickly becomes TikTok famous, but not for the tasteful time lapses of his artwork. His viewers catch sight of his roommate and lifelong best friend and go wild.
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton, James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers, Steve Rogers/Tony Stark
Comments: 11
Kudos: 139





	1. StarBucks

**Author's Note:**

> There's someone being outed in this fic, just a heads up.
> 
> This work was inspired by my sister who was drunk and wanted bath toys so was given a Titan Series Captain America and a Titan Series Winter Soldier action figure and proceeded to loudly play "Cap'n Roger n' Bonky Barn TikTok Famous Influencer" in the bath, she's 27 and I love her to bits.

At first Steve thought he was a little old for it but, as he watched video after video he learned that the demographic was actually college aged. Like him. 

It becomes sort of an addiction he follows close to a thousand accounts on the app. 

When he posts his first minute long video of himself drawing he gets a few views. Nothing impressive, but he does get a few comments of encouragement. 

So he posts more, carefully picking out music to be the background for his art.  
He posts regularly and gets a solid, small following. 

The first time he deviates from his normal content it's to taste the Pink Drink from Starbucks. 

It blows up. 

Not because Steve's reaction was interesting, not because of anything Steve really did at all--- It's because his roommate, Bucky was in the frame.

His comments turn from the usual "your lines are so clean" and "omg amazing!" 

To "Who is that!?" And "Do they serve HIM at Starbucks?!" He gets a few very inappropriate ones that he deletes quickly. 

Steve isn't exactly ugly himself, in fact some would say he's gorgeous, but it's just go right over Steve's head. His highschool growth spurt is still fresh and new to him, the way he shot up almost a foot and packed on muscle. He doesn't dress for the body he's been gifted. Most of the time he wears turtlenecks in stripes and earth tones, brown corduroy overalls, things at home on some art geek from the nineties. His friends say he is cute and more than enough people flirt with him still, it goes entirely over his head.

Bucky though, Bucky is an effortless beauty with his long hair and leather jackets. He carries himself with confidence that on some, would come off as cocky. But Bucky is kind and thoughtful and. . . And Steve is just head-over-heels for him.

A week after the video, Bucky walks in on Steve nervously trying to make a statement into his phone. 

Steve makes a few false starts, deletes the clips and starts over "that was. . . In my Starbucks video that was my. . ." He sighs, deletes what he has and starts over. "The guy in my video is my roommate. Uh. . . He"

Sighing, Bucky strode over and took Steve's Phone.  
"Hi I'm Steve's roommate, Bucky. Saw some of your comments, sorry I'm not on the menu at Starbucks. In fact I'm not really on the market at all. And no I'm not perfect. . ." He pushed up his sleeve and showed his state-of-the-art prosthetic to the camera. "Steve though, deserves all your love and attention."

He fended Steve off while he typed "my roommate Bucky." Into the description box along with "#collegelife #starbucks #pinkdrink #artistsoftiktok #fyp" he posted the video and tossed the phone back to Steve. 

Steve's heart pounded but he sighed up at Bucky "Thanks, Buck." He said with a shy smile.

"Anything for my best pal." Bucky laughed and ruffled Steve's hair. "Listen I'm going out with Dot again tonight, uh, shouldn't be too late. If you dont have early classes, I could stop by the Redbox and get a movie?" 

A lopsided smile graced Steve's face. "Nothing scary unless you want to cuddle me." 

Bucky laughed "you ain't a skinny kid no more, Rogers. You'll crush a fella." With that he disappeared into the hall, Steve could hear him greeting people he passed and almost envied his confidence. 

_"My roommate Bucky"_ gets several thousand views and likes, more than a hundred comments. They're no less lewd. 

Most of them are just one word "SIMPING" and Steve has to Google just what that means. 

He sneaks Bucky into most of his videos from then on, he knows he shouldn't be using his friend for clout but it's all harmless really. Isn't it?  
\----

A few weeks later a new and controversial trend starts flooding the For You Page. 

"The Kiss Your Best Friend Challenge" 

Steve is immediately put off by it, but the comments on his videos keep suggesting it to him. At first he replied to comments about the challenge but there are just so many. Better to ignore it til the trend dies down. 

One day, Steve is drawing for a class assignment when Bucky comes in and flops onto his bed. "My life's over." He groans dramatically, throwing his arm over his eyes. "Dot broke up with me."

Steve carefully laid his pencil aside and got up to join Bucky on the bed. 

Bucky pulled Steve into his arms like he did when Steve was still a little shrimpy kid.  
They'd known each other so long that physical contact was like breathing to them.  
Steve fit himself in beside Bucky, molding himself to the other's side. Bucky could still make Steve feel small. 

"Wanna tell me what happened?" Steve asked, trailing his fingers over the skin exposed by Bucky's tee shirt riding up. 

It takes a moment for Bucky to talk and Steve isn't sure he's going to until he sniffles and breaks the silence. "She said dating a guy who is only in this school on a sports scholarship isn't conducive to her image or any long term goals."

Steve's immediately filled with righteous indignation. "That's bullshit!" He exclaimed, sitting up. "Everyone knows you lost your scholarship when you. . . When . . . Your arm. Everyone knows how hard you work to be here, how smart you are! Everyone who cares to know you knows you only worked so hard at football so that you could get the scholarship to be an engineer!" 

The angry flush of Steve's cheeks, the tips of his ears, his nose, made Bucky smile. "Calm down, punk." He said, pulling Steve back to his chest. "Christ Almighty Stevie, remind me to let you vet the next girl I decide to let break my heart." Bucky placed a familiar kiss to the crown of Steve's hair and sighed deeply. "I need someone like you in my corner. Thanks pal." 

\-----

The sudden absence of Dot in Bucky's life suddenly has Steve thinking about the man in most of his waking hours. The comments on his videos don't help. 

All the uproar about the Kiss Your Best Friend Challenge hits an all time high when Steve posts a video of himself drawing Bucky for a portrait assignment. 

"I can see the love in those pencil strokes! Do the challenge!" Is the top comment with 400 likes and numerous replies. 

Taking a deep breath, Steve shakily types out "I'll do it."  
And the crowd goes wild.

It takes a week for Steve to get the courage and to figure out how to set the camera up without Bucky noticing something's up. It takes another week for him to actually attempt anything. He chickens out. His fans are getting restless. 

One afternoon, a lazy Saturday, Bucky sat on Steve's bed, playing some fps on his Xbox. Steve puts his phone into a little niche he's made and goes to sit beside Bucky. "Hey Buck?" He says, pulling his friend's attention away from the game and to him. It's the serious tone Steve has that makes Bucky's brows knit in concern. "What's wrong, Stevie?" He asked and before he could register what was happening, Steve leaned over and kissed him. 

Steve felt like he could faint with nerves as he leaned in and did it. It was almost comically clumsy, he nearly missed Bucky's mouth. After a brief moment, Bucky roughly pushed him back, looking shocked and confused, his seaglass eyes wide, searching. "Steve." He breathed, almost in question but then he's fisting Steve's ridiculous cardigan in his prosthetic hand and pulling him back.  
There's desperation there that both the young men can taste. It's like their bodies collectively know this has been too long in coming even though their brains didn't get the memo.  
It's Bucky who deepens the kiss, tilting his head a little, parting his lips, inviting Steve's tongue in. Bucky groans at the first taste of him, pushing his tongue against Steve's insistently. 

This is all a lot for Steve to take in, he feels light and floaty but also, suddenly he's overwhelmed with want. And that is a heaviness in his gut. 

He doesn't want the kiss to end but it does eventually. When they part, they're both taking loud, shaky breaths. "S-steve I. . ." Bucky whispered. " _Steve_ " 

"Bucky?" Steve had a feeling in his gut that told him this wouldn't be some magical romance all of a sudden. 

"Steve I gotta think about this." He said in a careful tone. "I'm not. . . I've never. . ."

"I know you've never kissed a guy before, Bucky." Steve said lightly enough.

"But. . . But It's _you_." Bucky almost looked, for a brief moment, like he was going to lean back in and kiss Steve again. "I think it's always been you. I just. . . Lemme sort my head out about this." 

"Okay. . ." Steve nodded. "Okay, Bucky." 

"I'm gonna go to Clint's party, you coming?" Bucky asked, schooling himself back into his easy smile and carefree tone.

"I uh, I have assignments to do. . . I might catch up. Clint says he got a dog and you know, dogs." Steve hopped up from bed and went back to his cramped little desk.

Steve nearly forgot all about the video until his phone chimed out a battery warning a couple hours later. 

He watched it on loop, wondering if he should even post it. It was so intimate, so private, sacred feeling almost. But his fans wanted it, were rabid over it.  
Steve tried not to think about it when he did eventually post the minute long section of video that just showed Steve sitting down, kissing Bucky, being pushed away and pulled back in. 

He has to turn the notifications off because his phone threatens to vibrate off the desk. 

He misses three calls from Bucky. 

\-------

Bucky is more than a little drunk when he comes home. His shuffling around the living area wakes Steve but Bucky never comes into the room to fall into his own bed across from Steve's. 

Concerned that Bucky passed out flat on his back, Steve pulled himself out of the warm comfort of his bed and into the hall. "Bucky?" He called out, rubbing sleep from his eyes. 

He finds the other young man sitting at the dinette table, drinking milk from the carton. 

"Steven." Bucky greets icily. "You . . . Wanna tell me. . ." He slurred, took another gulp of milk and tried to square Steve up in a hard stare. "You wanna tell me why I'm trending on TikTok, right now?" 

"W-what?" Steve's blood ran cold.

"Why. . . Did Kate and Tony and fucking Rhodes, come up to me with their phones to show me a video of myself. . . Kissing you?" Bucky swayed where he sat, just slightly, Steve noted he had his prosthetic off and thus had worse balance than the alcohol could claim blame for. 

"Bucky. . . I. . . I'm sorry."

"Yeah you are." Bucky says in a cutting tone. He went to stand and nearly fell, but fought Steve off when the other man tried helping him. "Don't touch me. . .Steven is that all I am to you? Views? Kiss your best friend challenge fodder? Know what, fuck you!" 

He pushed past Steve and went to sulk in bed with all his clothes on.  
Steve, of course, followed. "Bucky it isn't like that!" 

"Damage is done, Steven." He muttered. "Whole school has seen that by now."

"But Bucky I love you!" Steve covered his mouth with his hands a moment too late. Slowly, sheepishly he puts them back to his sides. "I've loved you since we were like twelve." 

Bucky visibly stiffened. "You break my heart, pal." His voice was dismissive, cold. 

"But I--"

"Go to sleep, we'll talk in the morning." Bucky's word seemed final so, Steve flipped out the light and went to bed. He almost never went to sleep, his mind racing and his gut churning with guilt. When he does finally sleep it's fitful.

Bucky isn't there when he wakes up.  
He doesn't come home by dark either and Steve falls asleep on the sofa waiting up for him. 

There's evidence of Bucky having been home in the absence of his books, the next day but there's no Bucky.

Steve considers cornering Bucky between his classes but they're on opposite schedules. He tried calling but it just immediately went to voice mail. 

It goes on like that for a full two weeks. Two weeks of near misses and rejected calls. People keep asking for a part 2 of the video and the video keeps gaining likes, it's well over 25k at that point. Steve can't stomach being on the app.  
While he's staring blankly at his home screen, he gets a Facebook notification. "Your Friend Bucky Barnes has posted a status"

His heart leaps, he stabs at the white text box with his finger and waits as Facebook opens and loads.  
Steve's heart falls.  
It's a little blue heart and it says "in a complicated relationship with Clint Barton." In the utilitarian Facebook Font. 

As he's staring at it he gets another notification "your friend Bucky Barnes has changed his profile pic." 

Bucky had had the same pic since eleventh grade. It's of him and Steve on the steps of his mom's house right before Sarah had died. 

He clicks over to the new pic now and it's of him and Clint, kissing, in the cutesy style all couples do for their Facebook photos. 

It's spiteful but he long presses the like button and selects the heart react.


	2. Going Live

Bucky posts more often in the following week than he had in the entire time he'd had his Facebook account. Granted he was just keeping up with Clint's posting schedule. Which is to say all hours of the night. He posts photos, they both do. Photos of them at cafes drinking coffee--- since when did Bucky prefer coffee over tea?  
There's one of Bucky sitting on an outcropping of granite on a local hiking trail with Clint comically hanging off the end. It looks like a daring shot but Steve knows it's only tricky camera work as the rock in question is only a few feet off the ground. 

The one that has Steve's fingers inching toward his inhaler is one of them cuddling shirtless in bed.

Steve still hasn't seen Bucky in all that time, in person anyway. He realizes he's getting stalker ish vibes from himself. He deactivates his Facebook on week two. 

His post of kissing Bucky keeps getting likes and comments. One day he snapped fed up to the gills with all the "part 2" requests and demands. 

He set up his phone and selected the option to go live, the tagline being "Kissing Bucky, part 2"

He didn't expect there to be a flood of people within the first two minutes. 

He sat there dumbly, watching as the comment section scrolled by. 

**User128912:** where's Bucky?  
 **Floraldecadance13:** Hii from NYC 😘  
 **TacoTuesday1112:** no kidding?  
 **CallMeKarmin3:** hi from California!!  
 **TacoTuesday1112:** *Kissing  
 **OniRaptor666:** omg can you draw me please.  
 **OvercastCompanion:** No Bucky though?

Steve sighed eventually and straightened up, his nose was red from crying earlier.   
"Hey uh, everyone. I haven't ever done a live before so, bear with me. . ." He watched the chat scroll past for a few more moments before clearing his throat. "So you all probably saw my last TikTok, of me kissing Bucky."

 **GinaBobina2012:** you guys were so cute! Like soulmates!

"Well Gina, it kinda all backfired on me." He replied to one of his viewers.   
There's suddenly an onslaught of viewers asking him if he's been crying, the usual shout-out requests, the hellos from wherever.

"See, I didn't tell him I was going to post it, or that it was some dumb challenge. It kinda got back to him in the worst way-- from classmates, friends-- what I'd done."  
He stopped to scrub his fingers over his eyelids, willing the tight itchy feeling of welling tears to go away. 

**WithTheGoodHair:** why would you use your BFF like that?

Steve squinted at the screen, reading the text as it appeared. "Well, see I guess I let my own feelings get in the way. I was eager for an excuse to kiss him."

 **WithTheGoodHair:** but why post it after? Why didn't you tell him?

"Because I'm an idiot. Because I was excited about it and I wanted to post good content. It wasn't good, it was a mistake." Without thinking much, Steve took an old sketchbook out from under the desk and held it up for the camera. "This is what I should have been posting . . . If I wanted anything to be a love letter to Bucky it should have been something like this set to some cheesy 80s love song." He begins to flip through the book, unable to focus on the chat feed for the time being. He flipped through page after page of drawings of Bucky from full on portraits, to studies of his hands or eyes or mouth.   
When he finished the book he placed it aside and ran his hands back through his hair. He tuned back into the feed in time to see:

 **WithTheGoodHair:** did you think about the fact that you might be outing your friend?

Steve went a little cold. "No, no I didn't think about it. I was being a selfish asshole." 

The feed had quieted down now that most of the people tuning in realized it wasn't a stream of Steve and Bucky kissing. The viewer number dropped from 125 to 56. 

"But yeah. My best friend and the love of my life is mad at me, understandably, and I haven't seen him in weeks because he's avoiding me and he's dating a mutual friend now. That's uh, that's where this stupid challenge has gotten me. If you want my advice, don't succumb to pressures to be popular, this app, followers, views, likes, it's not important enough to hurt people you love. I guess that's all I have to say." 

He was about to end the live when WithTheGoodHair popped up again.

 **WithTheGoodHair:** Call me, Stevie. 

"B-bucky?" 

**WithTheGoodHair:** call me.  
 **WithTheGoodHair has left the chat**

Steve ends the live and dials Bucky so fast he isn't sure later how he managed to not accidentally yeet his phone across the room. 

His hands were sweaty and his throat had gone dry. 

Bucky answerd after two rings. "I'm still mad as fuck at you, Stevie."

Steve was just glad to hear Bucky's voice. "Bucky. . ." He said, shakily. 

"Becks saw it. Mom called me and yelled for two hours. Seemed to think I was a step away from an OnlyFans. Though that's not the term she used." Steve could hear someone else in the background rustling covers and letting out little snores. It reminded Steve firmly that Bucky and Clint were an official thing. 

"I'm sorry, Bucky." Steve pleaded but it sounded hollow to his own ears. 

"I still feel like you used me. I still feel like you outed me." Steve hated the pain he could hear in that voice that was normally so carefree and light. 

"I wasn't thinking, Bucky."

"I think you _were_ thinking. You were thinking about your followers and people you don't even know before your own best friend." He heard Bucky swallow hard and let out a deep sigh.

"I'm not used to all the attention." Steve replied harkening back to his childhood as a sickly five foot nothing shrimp. 

"That's not an excuse, Stevie."

"I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I know you didn't. If I thought you'd meant to I'd not be talking to you right now." Bucky's tone was sharp and it made Steve flinch. 

"I just want you to come home." Steve couldn't help the way his voice shook.

"I go home, Ste---"

"Never when I'm here! You've avoided me for weeks, all your stuff is practically gone." In fact it looked more like Bucky was slowly moving out rather than visiting home for a change of clothes or something. His Xbox was gone, his shoes, his motorcycle helmets, his favorite mug. 

"I've been spending a lot of time with Clint."

"I've got Facebook, James." Steve snapped. 

"It's complicated." Bucky replied, voice softer now, almost a whisper. 

"Are you happy with him?" There was silence for a long time on the other end of the line.   
"Bucky, are you happy with him?" 

Steve hears a sharp intake of breath. "Yeah." Bucky said slowly and Steve's heart sank. "But it's not like you think."

"I don't know what that means." Steve replied sounding suddenly tired. 

"It means we aren't really dating, Steve. We're just having fun and . . . Honestly I was being a little spiteful toward you with it. I. . . I saw today that you'd deactivated your Facebook and that's why I went looking for you on TikTok. SteveRogers1998 is an unoriginal username, pal."

"Well you always were Bucky with the good hair." They share some tense laughter.

"Do you wanna get coffee in the morning?" Bucky asked before he could talk himself out of it. "Clint's getting tired of me moping." 

"I'd like that." Bucky hums into the phone at the reply. 

"Good night, Punk." He said to which Steve replied.

"Night, Jerk." 

\-------  
The cafe close to campus is crowded even early in the morning on a Sunday.   
Steve easily finds Bucky though, his metal fingers drumming on the little table he's sat at, looking bored at his phone. 

He smiles sheepishly at the other as he drops into the seat opposite him. "I want you to look at what my mom did to her profile pic on Facebook."   
Bucky held out his phone and showed him that Winnie Barnes, who was mediocre at best with technology, had a PFLAG frame on her Facebook photo. It had rainbow trim and included the words: "PROUD Mom."   
Steve couldn't help but giggle. "Your mom's amazing." 

"Yeah but it took me two fuckin' hours to convince her I'm not doing porn, Stevie." Bucky said with a hint of amusement as he took his phone back. 

"Jesus, Buck." Steve breathed out. 

"Then she said it was about time we got together." Now Bucky was blushing and Steve had to resist reaching out and touching him. They were fighting after all. 

"I kinda agree with her." Bucky blurted a moment later as though he had to psych himself up. 

Steve looked at him, slightly stunned. "What about Clint?" He asked dumbly. 

"What part of _"it's complicated"_ don't you understand? I told you Steve, I was just having a little fun and trying to hurt you a little. For outing me, which I'm still a little miffed about." Bucky groaned and slouched back in his chair.  
"Maybe even as payback for having to endure _THREE YEARS_ of catching you and that weirdo Tony Stark humping like animals around every corner." 

"So you and Clint fucked?" Was what Steve took away from the statement. 

"He's . . . Acrobatic." Bucky stated and they both couldn't help but laugh. "And he only uses purple condoms." They laughed a bit harder and somehow it ended with them holding hands. 

"Bucky I. . . I'm so sorry I hurt you. I'd never wanna do that intentionally, you're the most important person in the world to me, Bucky. I'd fight, idunno, Hitler or something for you." Steve's expression was so sincere and dire that Bucky burst out laughing.

"Fuck, Stevie. . . I, Jesus Mary and Joseph, I came here today because deep down I know that I _knew_ that. So whaddya say? You wanna make a go of you n' me?" His hand tightened on Steve's a silent plea. 

With an intimate little smile, Steve stood and stole a gentle kiss. "I'd love to, Buck." He said against smiling lips. And he knew for all the world that this was it, this was the most right thing on the planet.  
Steve Rogers and Bucky Barnes, together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No clue if any of the usernames are real or not I just made em up as I went.


End file.
